How to Report a Hazardous Substance Release or Oil Spill

Reporting a hazardous substance release or oil spill takes only a few minutes. To report a release or spill, contact the federal government's centralized reporting center, the National Response Center (NRC), at 1-800-424-8802. The NRC is staffed 24 hours a day by personnel who will ask you to provide as much information about the incident as possible. Please include the following:

Your name, location, organization, and telephone number

Name and address of the party responsible for the incident

Date and time of the incident

Location of the incident

Source and cause of the release or spill

Types of material(s) released or spilled

Quantity of materials released or spilled

Medium (e.g. land, water) affected by release or spill

Danger or threat posed by the release or spill

Number and types of injuries or fatalities (if any)

Weather conditions at the incident location

Name of the carrier or vessel, the railcar/truck number, or other identifying information

Whether an evacuation has occurred

Other agencies notified or about to be notified

Any other information that may help emergency personnel respond to the incident

If reporting directly to the NRC is not possible, reports also can be made to the EPA Regional office or the U.S. Coast Guard Marine Safety Office in the area where the incident occurred. In general, EPA should be contacted if the incident involves a release to inland areas or inland waters. The U.S. Coast Guard should be contacted for releases to coastal waters, the Great Lakes, ports and harbors, or the Mississippi River. EPA or the U.S. Coast Guard will relay release and spill reports to the NRC promptly.